Meet Event Curator Sierra 'Sie' Brown

I was recently invited out to a women’s history month festival entitled Divinity Fest that showcased female entrepreneurs, visual artist and performing artist.

As I walked towards the venue, I scoped the scene and checked the crowd. With my ID and cash handy - I saw the security and give the cashier my coins. I'm in! First things first, DRINKSSSSS!!!

With my drank in hand, I toured the event to check out the vendor tables, mingled, then secured my spot before the performances started. There were a total of 2 DJ's, 4 visual artist, 7 vendor tables and 10 live performances. The most beautiful thing about the VIBESSTL-eque festival, was that men and women came together to celebrate and support all the talented women involved. The night ended on a high note with a standout performance from Jai Ktchnz, who traveled 10 hours to be there.

After the event I got the chance to catch up with the co-curator Sierra to talk about the inspiration behind the showcase, her journey in the art community and more. Check out the full interview below:

Meet Sierra a.k.a SieNote

CONNECTOR | EVENT CURATOR | ARTIST DEVELOPER

Sierra 'SieNote' Brown is a St. Louis native that exudes creativity and positive energy. She is well-known for her work with Smino from Zero Fatigue and VIBESSTL. For those that don't know, VIBESSTL is an arts and music showcase infused with food and vendors from St. Louis and surrounding areas. Sierra along with graphic illustrator Rell Brodie host this event every year - giving the proceeds received to a local charity.

Sie hosted her first solo event just last year on her 22nd birthday. The 70's-themed party entitled Lavish brought folks out in their freshest 70's fit. Since then, she has held numerous events in St. Louis and Chicago. One of my personal favorites was when she bought visual artist Distrotedd into town for an epic live paint sesh on Cherokee Street.

There is a specific art that goes into hosting a successful event. and Sierra has prevailed by gaining trust from her peers and party goers. When asked about the process of creating an event Sierra said the following:

There’s a fine line of wanting to put something together for the benefit of the participants rather than for the benefit of you- receiving profits. I always make sure the experience is first rather than my personal benefit. It doesn’t matter what I get out of it in the end, more than anything I want to make sure the participants and consumers are getting the best experience.

How do you overcome adversities (if any) as a women in the music/art community?

I like the challenge, it’s a bit annoying at times but women literally make the world go around. I stick to my guns with everything. That’s all it really takes.

What was the inspiration behind the Divinity Fest?

Well it was women’s history month so I felt it would be appropriate to have something dedicated to women who create throughout the city. Besides that, I’ve been attending local showcases for YEARS and can literally count on both hands how many times women have been featured or how many times there’s been a showcase with only women. It’s very rare, I just felt the time was right.

What was your process of finding talent for your showcase?

Initially I was going to hit up all of my creative girl friends to be apart, but I thought that would be too bias and easy. That’s also a very low number. I decided to make a post for Instagram & take submissions via email.

How do you pick the lineup for the live performers?

I really listened to the artists material, reviewed performance footage, and fan bases. It was pretty hard to pick, all of these ladies brought it.

How do you deal with no shows? (performers not showing up)

EASY! #1 rule, no matter what the show must go on. You don’t have to make it known- even if it's obvious that someone isn’t there. Move on with the next performance and next time don’t book that person.

What advice would you give aspiring artist or event planners?

It takes money to make money, but to make money you have to plan everything out, budget, be patient, and think about your audience. This isn’t a quick come up field (which most think it is).

Sierra recently announced that she will be relocating to Chicago due to accepting an unique job offer with These Days News. She has been the key player in the development of several local creatives so she will be missed. If you haven't had a chance to check out one of her events don't miss out on her going away party. Details below:

I can finally share my news & say my time in STL has come to an end!

I’ll be relocating to Chicago to work with @thesedays_news 😬 but before I leave I want to jam with y’all 💜